Meaty Stuff

Clean and cut up the chicken to your liking. Fry the finely chopped onion in oil until transparent. Take pan from heat, sprinkle in paprika, put back on stove and add chicken pieces, the green pepper rings, the peeled and quartered tomato, salt, pepper...cover and stew over low heat until the chicken is tender. (if the chicken doesn't produce enough juice for stewing, add a little water but only as needed!)

Combine the flour and 2 to 3 tbsp sour cream till smooth and add to the chicken. Stirring constantly, bring to boil, making sure liquid is substantial and not too thin. Stir in the remaining half of the sour cream, retaining the other half in bowl for serving later on top of each serving of chicken paprikás.

To make galuska dumplings, the traditional accompaniment to chicken paprikás:

Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, stir in the flour, oil, and enough water to make a soft batter. Boil ample salted water in a large pot and using either a dumpling strainer or a dampened chopping board and a wet knife, "mince" small pieces of batter into the boiling water. Simmer until the galuska comes to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon, quickly rinse in cold water and place in a bowl with a bit of hot oil. Stir and keep warm.

The traditional way is to serve chicken paprikás piping hot, decorated with green pepper rings.

Cut the meat into small cubes. Finely chop the onion and sauté in the oil until transparent. Reduce the heat, add the paprika, then immediately add the meat to keep the paprika from burning and turning bitter. Salt to taste and brown, stirring frequently.

When the meat is browned, add a little bit of broth or stock, put a lid on the pot and let it simmer, making sure to stir it once in a while. Add more liquid if you need to but just enough to keep from burning as full flavor comes by browning not cooking! When the meat is starting to become tender, add the tomato and pepper. Continue to simmer until the meat is tender then take off the lid and let it simmer till it makes a thickish gravy. (many people thin it a bit with red wine) This dish is traditionally served with galuska dumplings. (see the chicken paprikás recipe for galuska dumpling recipe)

Note: this method can be used for any kind of red meat but the most commonly used meats are beef, pork and venison. In Hungary, people often make this dish outside in a kettle over a fire and it's yummy!

Wash and pat meat thoroughly dry, then with a very sharp knife make a slit in the meat to form a "pocket"...then carefully stretch that space to make it bigger for the stuffing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To make the stuffing: soak the bread or rolls in milk. Fry the finely chopped onion in a tsp oil till transparent, add the chopped mushrooms and cook over med heat till only the oil remains. Add the livers and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and let cool a bit. Add egg, finely chopped parsley, squeezed out bread or rolls, a dash of salt and pepper and mix together loosely.

Stuff the breast of veal and sew the opening together. Lay in fireproof dish and sprinkle with hot oil and add about a 1/2 cup water, the rest of the onion and garlic. Bake covered in preheated medium oven till tender, after about 40 minutes or so remove the foil or lid and bake till the top gets crispy and brown. Serve with potato or rice.

Carefully clean then pound the meat slices, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the bacon into four equal pieces, score the skin and then fry. Set bacon aside and keep warm. Turn the meat slices in flour and fry in hot oil on both sides till red. At the same time prepare the french fries, making sure the fries are done cooking at the same time as the meat

Place the fries in the middle of a large wooden platter (actually that's what "Erdélyi fatányéros" means...wooden platter!) then arrange the meat slices around them. If desired...decorate the edges with lettuce leaves and mixed type pickled peppers as well as tomato slices and green peppers cut into rings. Score the bacon to shape like a cock's comb and sprinkle with paprika, then place on top of the meats.